help with horses !!!

[supernareg]

for the past 2-3 days 1 of my horses wont eat.. i think they're the hippocampus kudas... it looks as if he cant. when the mysis shrimp come near its mouth, he'll try to eat it, (suck it in) but its as if he's not powerful enough, while the other sh's when they do it, i could HEAR it. this 1 seahorse looks as if it cant open its mouth and suck hard enough... cant eat...

help!!?

 

[NanoLurker]

if he's attempting to snick and can't generate enough "suction" it's generally termed weak snick and is thought to be caused by protozoa. sometimes this will also manifest itself in a stuck trigger. i would first try a FW dip or a formalin bath, match pH and temp, and if opting for formalin match salinity as well. have you noticed any scratching, head shaking, excessive "yawning", snicks at nothing? keep an eye on the horses reaction to either the FW dip or formalin bath and be prepared to remove if it is too stressful.

 

[supernareg]

so do a FW dip at same temp? dip for how long? 30 seconds?

 

[NanoLurker]

sorry, had to leave for a little bit. the FW dip is the same for seahorses as it is for any other marine fish.

FW dip has to be at same pH and temp as the current tank water. i use RO and buffer accordingly to match current tank peramaters. don't use untreated tap water - chlorines and chloramines are bad (you probably already know that). you're shooting for minutes here, 8-10 is good but depending on the severity of the problem your horse may not tolerate that well. i've gone as high as 12 minutes, key is to keep an eye on him while doing this. sometimes they swim around like they don't have a care in the world, other times they may lay at the bottom of the container. if he does lay down gently tap him. i've never had one of my horses thrash but that is also possible so don't be suprised, you may also see him attempt to scratch his gills with his tail. pull the horse immediately if he really freaks out on you, probably won't, but be prepared.

just to cover all bases here, do not, ever, FW dip a fish with open wounds.

also, ideally i would place the horse in a separate QT tank but you may not be prepared for that but i ask that you consider it. the immediate concern is to give him relief and get him eating again.

you may want to venture over to one of the dedicated seahorse forums and post in their emergency sections. lots of experience there and can help you out as well.

are there any other symptoms other than weak snick? lethargy, heavy breathing, etc. ?

i've got to run for a little bit but will check back when i return.

 

[NanoLurker]

i forgot to tell you to also put in some type of hitch for the seahorse when doing the FW dip - can be anything, rigid airline, unplugged heater, etc.

also make sure to aerate the water before and during the dip.

i will also let you know that i have used paraguard, dosed per label, as one hour baths with a pair of my horses. i don't believe it is a common method in the seahorse community, could be wrong though - get a second opinion on it.

hope all's well with your horse, keep us updated.

 

[Nano-Nag]

Hi Supernareg!

My seahorses also had a problem with weak snick last month. They were given a freshwater bath, the sg in their 10 g quarantine was lowered to 1.010 (with refractometer), and 2 courses of Maracyn 2 were added. I doubled the recommended dose of the Maracyn 2 per recommendation of a seahorse.org member, and it seemed to do the trick.

Good luck!

P.S. If you lower the sg, and add the Maracyn 2, you might want to keep an eye on your ph - it can drop.

 

[supernareg]

i just did a FW dip with matched pH and temp.... for about 6-8 minutes..

 

[supernareg]

didnt help at all....stupid kuda

 

[pledosophy]

Is there any discoloration on the tip of the snout?

Can you post a picture as well as your tank parameters including Nitrate, Nitrite, ammonia, temp, sg, and 02 level if you have it.

The freshwater dip is not enough. It needs to be followed by a hyposalinity treatment of 1.011 S.G in a hospital tank. Some cases do require anti biotics. Parasites are believed to be responsible for weak snick, but it can leave a weakend seahorse vunerable to bacterial infection. Be prepared to tube feed if possible.

If there is any discoloration of the snout it is more likely an outbreak of vibrio which would require a different course of treatment.

Your seahorses need a bigger tank. You will see continuing disease problems in your 12g nano.